Snapshots
by Thephoenix1996
Summary: A series of one-shots documenting events in the lives of the Reagan siblings. chapter 5 'Loss': Five of his friends were with him when it happened, and only three came out alive.
1. Welcome to the family!

"Welcome to the family!"

...

Ten year old Danny was playing a video game with his five year old brother Joe when he heard his mother calling him.

"Daniel!" called Mary frantically, trying to get her eldest son's attention; her water had broke minutes ago and she wasn't able to get to the phone.

"Ma! You okay?" said Danny hastily.

"Yeah honey," she said through gritted teeth. "Call your father and tell him to get here now, Dan hurry up!"

Danny raced to the phone and dialed his father's number who answered on the second ring "Dad," said Danny with relief.

"Danny?"

"Dad you need to get here, I think the baby's coming," said Danny in panic.

Frank could tell his eldest son was freaking out so he tried to soothe him, "Danny it's going to be okay, tell your mother I'm gonna be there in a minute, alright?"

"Okay dad," sighed Danny. "Just please hurry up."

"I'll be right there," he assured his son, then hung up the phone.

By the time Danny finished his call, his brother and sister were already in the room sitting on either side of their mother.

"Dad's gonna be here any minute," he informed his mother who smiled through the pain; she knew Danny was scared but was trying to stay calm for his siblings.

True to his words a few seconds later Frank came rushing to the room. "Is it time?" he asked wanting to be sure.

Mary nodded with a smile, "it's time," she said softly.

"Do you have everything ready?"

"Yeah," she eased herself out of bed with her husband's help. "Let's go have our baby!"

…...

Henry was sat in the living room with three anxious and worried yet excited kids, waiting for news on his grandson and daughter in law.

After two long hours the phone rang and the three kids ran to answer it, Joe elbowed Danny out of the way and picked up the phone to answer but his sister took it from his hand and gave it to her grandfather who answered the phone.

Danny whacked Joe on the back of the head and glared at him. "That's for elbowing me."

Joe glared at his big brother then turned the glare on his sister. "Why did you take the phone?" he whined.

"Because we're kids and grandpa is the adult," explained Erin, which caused both brothers to roll their eyes.

"Kids!" Henry said loudly, and when he was sure he had their attention he said: "you wanna see your baby brother?" he asked.

"Yeah," the three said in union.

…

As soon as they entered the room the kids hugged their parents then started interrogating them.

"Where is it?" asked Joe in haste.

"Is it a boy?" asked Danny hopefully

"Is it a girl? Please tell me it's girl," pleaded Erin.

Frank laughed, "the doctor is checking him, and it's a boy"

"What's his name?" asked Erin curiously.

"Jameson Matthew Reagan," replied Mary tiredly.

"Cool name." said Danny.

"When do we get to see him?" asked Joe.

"Right now," said the doctor with a smile.

"Amy!" said Mary with a smile; Amy was one of her dearest friends and she was surprised that she was the one to bring the child not a nurse.

"Hey Mary," Greeted the doctor as she came closer to Mary and gave her the small child.

"Is everything okay with him?" asked Mary worriedly.

"He's a perfectly healthy little boy and a handsome one at that," she said with a laugh.

"He's gonna be a handful," said Henry for the first time.

"Oh yeah," the doctor agreed with a chuckle, and at Mary's sigh she continued, "he's very quiet and friendly, but he is curious so you're gonna need to watch him carefully especially around small objects," she finished with a smile. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," said Frank with a smile.

The doctor nodded and left.

"Do you guys wanna hold him?" asked Mary with a smile, and all the kids nodded eagerly, except Joe who ran out of the room before anyone can say anything.

"We'll go after him," said Danny dragging his sister with him, when he saw his father about to go after Joe.

…

Erin and Danny found Joe sitting on a chair in the waiting room looking like he was about to cry.

"Hey Joe," said Erin as she sat on the chair next to him.

"Why did you leave like that?" asked Danny sitting down.

Joe shrugged and sniffled but said nothing, Danny and Erin exchanged looks then turned back to their brother, "is this because of Jamie?" Erin asked quietly.

Joe lowered his gaze to the floor, "yes."

"You have nothing to worry about little brother," Danny assured his little brother.

"Will you guys still love me?" Joe asked worriedly.

Erin gaped at him while Danny looked shocked. "Of course we will, buddy!"

"I still loved Erin after you were born," said Danny.

"You won't love him more than you love me?" Joe asked quietly.

"You don't have to worry about that Joe, we will all love you no matter what," said Erin with a smile.

"Let's go say hi to our little brother."

….

"There you are!" exclaimed Mary. "I was so worried about you," she sat up in bed. "Come here joseph."

Joe climbed the bed and sat next to his mother who pulled him in a gentle hug. "I love you, you know that right?" he nodded against her chest. "And just because Jameson is here doesn't mean we'll love you any less," she continued.

"Your mother is right, Joe" said frank with a fond smile.

"Alright," said Frank who was holding little Jamie, "Joseph, say hi to your little brother," he commanded softly as he carefully put the child in Joe's arms.

"Hi," said Joe softly, and right then Jamie opened his eyes and smiled a little. "You and I are gonna be more than just brothers; we're gonna be best friends," Joe said with determination.

Next was Erin, "Hi Jamie, I'm your big sister Erin," she rocked him a bit. "I promise I'll be the best sister ever," she kissed his little forehead.

When Danny held him Jamie immediately smiled a big smile and extended his hand to his brother, Danny smiled and put his finger in his little brother's tiny hand. "I'll always protect you and be there for you no matter what. Always, kid."

Frank sat next to Mary on the bed and she leaned her head on his shoulder. They sat there watching their kids with smiles on their faces. They knew they'd be okay.

"Welcome to the family Jamie," he said softly.

…

I hope you like it I know this chapter is a bit boring but I needed something to start the series with

Please review and let me know what you think

XOXO


	2. Proud

"Proud"

…

The Reagan siblings were sitting in the living room playing games and enjoying each other's company, all except Danny, who was in Frank's office.

"Why did Dad want to talk to Danny alone?" asked six year old Jamie.

"He got into a fight with some older kids at school," explained eleven year old Joe.

"Why?" asked Jamie with a frown.

"He said the boys messed with his locker or something and that they started the fight," answered Joe.

"And dad doesn't believe him," added Erin.

Just then the door opened and an angry Danny stormed out, heading straight to the kitchen and going out of the back door into the patio.

"Kids!" called Mary. "It's time to go to bed."

Joe and Erin obeyed instantly, knowing there was no use in trying to argue with their mother. Jamie, on the other hand, followed Danny quietly.

Mary went looking for her youngest son, when she noticed he wasn't in bed. She was surprised when she saw him sitting next to Danny, who, she suspected, is still angry. Whenever Danny was angry they would let him cool down and then talk to him, it was an unwritten rule in the house. She crept closer to the door to listen to what they were saying.

…

Jamie decided to talk to his big brother and find out what was upsetting him. He sat next to his brother quietly and observed him, Danny was obviously angry but Jamie could fell there was something else.

"Why did you lie to dad?" he asked quietly.

Danny glared at him, "I didn't."

Jamie was surprised at how much guilt he heard in his brother's voice.

"Then why didn't he believe you?"

"Not my problem," said Danny angrily.

"It kinda is," Jamie pointed out.

Danny was silent.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" asked Jamie softly.

"You're too young to understand."

"Try me," Jamie pleaded.

Danny looked at his brother for a long minute then nodded.

"I was in the locker room when I heard those boys laughing and shoving a scrawny kid around and making fun of him" he sighed. "I told them to stop but they wouldn't so I shoved one of them away from the kid and told him to run," he looked at his brother, "and you know the rest."

Jamie nodded in understanding.

"I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to-" Danny was cut off by his brother.

"Because you didn't want to ruin your bad-boy reputation," Jamie said with a sigh.

Danny looked at him surprised," what?"

"You didn't want to ruin you reputation, the bullies didn't want to get into more trouble and the boy was too embraced," said Jamie. "So it worked out for you all."

"Until dad showed up," mumbled Danny.

Jamie put his hand on Danny's shoulder and squeezed.

"You should be proud of what you did, Danny," He said softly. "You helped that boy when he couldn't help himself, and that's a good thing," he looked his brother in the eye, "_I_ am proud of you, and when you tell dad, he will be too."

With that Jamie went inside, leaving a stunned and gapping Danny behind.

…..

Mary smiled brightly at her son who had a 'deer in the highlights' expression.

"I'm so proud of you," she said as she gave him a hug.

"I didn't do anything," he said with a shrug.

Mary shook her head with a smile. "I heard every bit of what you said, Jamie, and it was not nothing, you got it?" she stated firmly.

Jamie nodded.

"Alright, now go to bed."

"Okay."

….

After his brother had gone back in the house, Danny started thinking about what his brother said. He didn't like lying to his father, but when they asked him about the fight he panicked and said the first thing that came to mind; a lie.

'_I am proud of you, and when you tell dad, he will be too.'_

He remembered his brother's words and smiled when he realized Jamie had said 'when' not 'if'. His brother had believed in him and was sure he'd do the right thing.

His decision made, Danny made his way to his father's office and knocked.

"Come in," he heard his father say.

Danny took a deep breath and went in.

"Hey dad," he greeted quietly, and cringed inwardly when his father didn't say anything. "I need to tell you something…"

Danny told his father everything and apologized for lying.

Frank smiled, "I'm proud of you, son, you helped someone who couldn't help themselves, and that is what's truly important," he praised his son. "you're gonna be one hell of a cop someday, Danny."

Danny smiled, "thanks dad."

Frank returned the smile."Now go to bed."

….

"What are you doing?" asked Frank, when he saw Mary sitting up in bed.

"Nothing," she answered with a smile.

Frank lay onto the bed and Mary joined him, resting her head on his chest, and her hand on his stomach, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her.

"Danny told me what happened."

He felt her smile.

Mary looked at him with a proud smile, "I knew he would."

"Something must have changed his mind," said Frank.

"Not something, someone," she said sitting up and looking at him with the same proud smile.

"You?"

She shook her head.

"Erin?" when she shook her head again, he frowned. "Joe?"

She shook her head, "Jamie."

Frank smiled," that boy is way too smart for a six year old."

"That, he is," she said with a smile, matching his own.

"Goodnight sweetheart."

"Goodnight."

…..

"Hey kid," Danny said quietly, as he entered Jamie's room.

"Danny?" said Jamie sleepily.

"Yeah."

Jamie sat up in his bed, "are you okay?" he asked with concern.

Danny sat on the bed. "Just wanted to thank you."

Jamie frowned, "For what?"

"Making me talk to dad."

"I didn't make you; I just gave you a push in the right direction."

Danny chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Thank you," he repeated sincerely.

"Anytime, big brother."

…..

I hope you like this chapter.

Next chapter Is gonna be a lot more exciting ( I hope).

Please review and let me know what you think.

XOXO.


	3. Friendship

"Friendship"

...

Ten year old Jamie was sat in class looking out of the window, when the principle pocked his head.

"Miss Swan?" he addressed the teacher.

"Yes, Mr. Crane," she said sweetly with a smile.

"The transfer student is here."

"Send her in." she said with a big smile.

A beautiful, skinny, grey-eyed brunette entered the class room, and smiled shyly at the teacher, who smiled back at her.

The teacher turned Heather towards the class and said:

"Class, this is Heather Reid, she transferred from Francisco." The teacher explained then continued." Heather, would you like to say something?"

The girl waved with a softly mumbled 'hi'.

The teacher chuckled at the girls shyness then smiled.

"Take the empty seat beside Jamie."

The girl moved hesitantly and sat at her desk.

"I'm Jamie."

Heather's head snapped to the left and she was greeted by the sight of a boy, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, smiling at her.

Heather smiled, "I'm Heather."

"Nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." She said shyly.

The teacher watched the exchange with a small smile, and then continued to give the children their assignments.

…

"Hey Jamie, wait up!"

Jamie turned to see his best friend Liam, jogging towards him.

"Hey L.J," smiled Jamie.

"Are you walking home?"

Jamie nodded, "Yeah, Why do you ask?"

"My dad is picking me and Landon up, if you want a ride?" Liam asked.

"Nah, I'm gonna walk."

"You sure?"

Jamie nodded.

"See ya!"

"Bye!"

…..

_'Stupid stupid stupid' _ was all what Jamie could think of at the moment. He really wished he had taken Liam up on his offer; the weather was unusually hot and he wasn't feeling well. Jamie was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even see the three smiling boys, on the skate boards, heading his way. Suddenly he found himself pushed on the hard pavement.

He pushed himself up with an angry huff, 'this just isn't my day'.

Suddenly a loud shriek pierced the air. Jamie turned to see where it had come from, and then found the source. A girl was sitting on the pavement, holding her ankle, a few feet away.

Jamie jogged towards her, and was surprised by who he saw. It was Heather!

"Heather?" he said cautiously; not wanting to scare her.

The little girl looked at him with wide eyes, "Jamie?" she asked in a small voice.

Jamie nodded and crouched in front of her, "does it hurt?" he asked pointing to her ankle.

She nodded tearfully, "I think it's sprained."

He looked around and found the street was deserted; there were no cars or people in the street. He turned to her, "do you think you can walk on it?"

"I'll try."

He nodded and helped her up.

Heather bit her lip and tried to put a little pressure on her injured ankle, but quickly lifted it off the ground when she felt pain shoot through her entire leg.

"It hurts."

He thought about what to do for a minute, and then smiled as an idea popped in his head.

…

Ronda Reid was terrified; her daughter had not been waiting for her at school like they had agreed. She had asked everyone she came across and they all had the same answer; her daughter had walked home.

The scared mother decided to head home and see if her daughter was there, but found no sign of her.

She was going to call the police when something in the street caught her eye. She found herself running down the porch steps and onto the street until she found herself standing in front of a boy, about her daughter's age, carrying Heather.

"Mommy!" cried Heather lifting her arms.

Ronda quickly recovered and managed to take her daughter in her embrace.

"You scared me." She sighed with relief," didn't I tell you to wait for me at school?"

"I'm sorry mommy."

"What happened?" she directed the question to the boy, who, she noted with concern, looked ready to pass out.

"I was walking home from school when some boys on skate boards pushed Heather on the pavement, when I reached her she was crying because of her sprained ankle. When I found no one in the street I decided to carry her because she couldn't walk." He said giving her the short version; he was tired.

Ronda smiled at the boy, "thank you, sweetie."

Jamie smiled and nodded.

"Thanks Jay."

He turned to look at Heather, who was smiling at him.

"No problem, Thea." He didn't know why he called her that, but it just popped in his head.

"Jamie!" he turned to see his mother walking towards him, looking worried.

"Hey mom."

"Is everything alright?" she asked with concern as she took in the scene in front of her.

"My daughter sprained her ankle and Jamie helped her to come home," Ronda said with a wide smile. "you have a good little boy…?"

"Mary" responded Jamie's mother with a smile. She then looked at Jamie with a proud smile," and yes, I do."

"I'm Ronda."

"Nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too." She looked down at her daughter and found her sleeping. "I better get this one inside."

Mary nodded and they said their goodbyes. Mary and her son began to make their way home.

"Who is she? That little girl you helped." She asked curiously.

"A friend; her name is Heather."

And that was the start of a beautiful friendship that years later grew into love.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

There will be a lot more of heather in the next chapters. And if you are interested in Jamie\Heather, my story Love & Family is all about them ( when they are adults)

Please review.

XOXO


	4. Winning

"Winning"

…..

"Oh look, here's Jamie!" Danny said as he moved towards his youngest brother, who was muttering under his breath.

"Danny!" called Joe as he tried to keep up with Danny.

"Hey kid!"

"Hey guys," said fourteen year old Jamie, grumbly.

"What's wrong?" asked Joe, immediately noticing his brother's distress.

"This whole 'game' is pointless and stupid," whined Jamie.

His principle had decided that their school needed some interesting activities, so he had decided to hold games in a wooded area every year, starting with this year. Unfortunately for Jamie, he had been picked. Jamie had no problem with competing, in fact, he enjoyed it. But what made him dread it this time, was the fact that the other team leader was the principle's son, who hated him for no apparent reason.

"Can you believe he teamed me up with a jock who can't even spell his name right, and an air head cheerleader, who wouldn't know an answer to a question even if it hit her in the face!" he exclaimed," and to make matters worse, he teamed up his son with the school's geniuses!"

Danny and Joe couldn't believe what they heard, they knew the principle was a dick, who gave his son special treatment, but going this far was unforgivable!

"Just wait till I get my hands on him," growled Danny.

"NO, Danny, it's fine. I'll deal with it," said Jamie, blocking his brother's way.

Danny frowned, "but-"

Jamie shook his head," no buts," he said firmly.

Joe raised his eyebrows at Jamie's serious tone, but otherwise said nothing. When it came to Danny and Jamie, he preferred to let them get everything out, then deal with the aftermath. It was easier and a lot less painful; he learned that the hard way.

"Jamie, you know you won't win if you're on your own. If you won't let me help you then at least withdraw." Danny protested.

Hurt flashed in Jamie's eyes, before he covered it up, "thanks for the vote of confidence, big brother," he said sarcastically.

Danny cursed his big mouth, "Jamie! I didn't mean it like that-"

"Look, Danny, I'm not gonna quit just cause it's a tough situation. I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna do my best to win this. And winning would be a great thing, but if I lose, then I'll at least know I tried."

Danny was stunned," Jamie-"

Jamie rolled his eyes," I get it, ok? You don't want me to be embarrassed. But what's there to be embarrassed about? People lose all the time."

Joe smiled, his little brother was an amazing person, and a lot smarter than people gave him credit for. He knew Jamie would win.

"You're gonna be great, little brother," he ruffled his hair affectionately.

Jamie's shoulders relaxed. He looked at Joe gratefully.

"Thanks, Joey."

Joe smiled, while Danny sighed.

"Jamie, I really do believe in you, kid."

Jamie nodded hesitantly.

"I gotta go figure out what I'm gonna do with the two boneheads."

Joe and Danny watched him go.

"What is your problem?" demanded Joe as soon as Jamie was out of earshot.

Danny didn't say anything, but continued to look at Jamie's retreating back with a sad frown.

Joe's face softened," talk to him."

Danny just shook his head and left Joe alone.

….

Jamie was trying really hard to stop himself from murdering his two teammates on the spot. They had been arguing non-stop for the past fifteen minutes, and it was really getting on his nerves.

"Nice team you've got there, Jay," said a very amused voice.

A huge smile spread across Jamie's face, as he turned to face his best friend, Heather.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

She punched him in the arm lightly, "cheering you!"

He chuckled.

"You're gonna win," she stated with conviction, and when she saw his doubtful look, she continued," you don't need these two to help you, you'll be fine on your own."

"Well-"he stopped midsentence, when he saw his brother approaching.

Heather saw Danny too, so she decided to go back to her seat," I'm gonna go back, ok? Good luck."

She kissed his cheek and left.

"Danny," he said with a sigh.

"Look, I know you don't have much time, so shut up and listen to me good, you hear me?"

Jamie could do nothing but nod.

"My money's on you, okay?" he asked.

"Danny-"

He put his hands on Jamie's shoulder, "My money's on you, little brother," he said.

"Literally," he insisted as he pointed to a boy behind them, who was trying, unsuccessfully, to collect the bets discreetly.

Jamie's eyes widened, "Danny, you can't."

"You will win, you got it?"

Jamie nodded with a huge smile.

….

"Each team will be given a map leading to the first stop. There are 6 stops on the way to the finish line. At each one you will be given a map to the next stop. Okay?" when both teams nodded, he continued, "at every stop you will be given a puzzle, once you solve that, you take the map and move on, ok? Good. "

Both teams took their maps and headed to the starting point.

"Ready?" everyone nodded. "GO!"

….

"Would you both just knock it off!" pleaded Jamie.

They did. For ten minutes. Then went back to arguing

"We're here," said Jamie loudly.

"Hi," the girl with the card said brightly.

"Hey."

"Ready for the puzzle?" she asked.

Jamie nodded, "hit me."

Rita, his teammate, was alarmed, "why do you want her to hit you?"

The girl looked at him sympathetically before she started talking," A large truck is crossing a bridge 1 mile long. The bridge can only hold 14000 lbs, which is the exact weight of the truck. The truck makes it half way across the bridge and stops. A bird lands on the truck. Does the bridge collapse? Give a reason.

Jamie thought hard about the question, and then answered hesitantly," No it doesn't collapse. Because it has driven a half mile - you would subtract the gas used from the total weight of the truck.

She smiled brightly at him, "Correct!"

He took the map from her with a smile.

…

At the next stop was a small, slender boy with glasses, fidgeting nervously.

"Hey," Jamie greeted.

The boy nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Hi…um..here's your puzzle," he cleared his throat, "If your sock drawer has 6 black socks, 4 brown socks, 8 white socks, and 2 tan socks, how many socks would you have to pull out in the dark to be sure you had a matching pair?"

It took Jamie a few seconds to answer," Five, cause there are only four colors, so five socks guarantee that two will be the same color."

The boy looked surprised but gave Jamie the map without a word.

Jamie thought the boy was weird.

…

They had reached the sixth stop when they heard it. A scream.

"What the hell?" muttered Jamie, as he scanned the woods.

Rita looked scared, while Don was uncaring.

"Let's just get out of here. I hate this place," he whined.

Jamie glared at him, then got back to listening.

When Jamie heard another scream, he gave them the map and hurriedly explained how to get to the finish line. He then took off in the direction of the scream.

…..

"Come on, Steve, we're still at the fifth stop! We need to hurry."

Steve Williams glared at his teammate. He was tired, hungry and bored. He hadn't wanted to enter the competition, but his father had insisted on it.

"Look, the only one with brains on that team is Reagan." He said with distaste, "So just take it easy and relax."

"Why do you hate him so much?" asked Paul, his other teammate.

"That's not your business," he said hotly. He then, very suddenly, fell to the ground with a surprised and pained scream.

"What's going on?" demanded Al.

"My leg," said Steve, taking a deep breath and releasing it, then continued, "I think it's broken."

Paul and Al exchanged looks then looked back at Steve, whose eyes were closed tightly.

"You have to move." Said Al seriously, and saw Paul nodding in agreement.

"It's broken, and you want me to _move?_" he asked incredulously.

They nodded.

"But wait! He'll slow us down," said Al.

"Screw the damn competition! My leg is broken and it hurts like hell. I need your help to get out of here."

Paul shook his head," you don't know how much it matters to us! We have to win it."

Al was already moving away when Paul joined him.

"I really am sorry," he said before leaving.

Steve was stunned and hurting. He couldn't believe they were going through with it and ignoring him.

He was contemplating his next move. He tried to move his leg, but ended up screaming from the pain it caused. He settled down, not daring to move an inch.

Ten minutes later, he heard the welcoming sound of footsteps, and was relieved. Paul and Al must have gone for help!

"Are you okay?"

He frowned, the voice sounded very familiar, he just couldn't figure out who it was.

"Steve?!"

When Steve finally managed to lift his head, he saw Jamie gaping at him, and scowled. This was not his day!

"Are you okay?" repeated Jamie.

"Fine."

Jamie ignored him. He crouched down.

"What's wrong with your leg?"

"Broke it," he admitted, then blew out a sharp breath.

Jamie nodded then stood up, "I need to get help, okay?"

"NO," shouted Steve.

Jamie was startled by the sudden outburst, and then regained his composure, "you need help."

"No shit, Sherlock!"

Jamie glared. Steve sighed.

"I hate the dark," he admitted reluctantly.

"Okay."

Steve looked at Jamie with shock.

"What?" asked Jamie.

"What are you doing?"

"We can't stay here and hope someone's gonna find us! We need to move."

"How? My leg's broken."

"We need to immobilize it, and then figure out a way to move you."

… 40 minutes later…

"I can't believe you're carrying me!" grumbled Steve.

"Yeah, well, I'm not all that excited about it either," snapped Jamie. His back was starting to burn, and his arms were going numb from the extra weight.

He had tried to find something stable to use as a crutch, but wasn't able to find anything, so he had settled for immobilizing the leg and then carrying Steve to the finish line. That wasn't going well.

"Am I really that bad? I mean, why would they leave me like that?" Steve asked quietly.

"It's not you. Their parents are always pressuring them, they couldn't lose," he said sadly.

"Thank you," Steve said quietly.

"No problem." he stopped suddenly, then started walking faster, "I can see people!" he said happily.

…

People were starting to get worried; shortly after Paul and Al had arrived, a search party was sent to look for Jamie and Steve. That was 20 minutes ago.

Danny was, for the fifth time, trying to convince his father to let go look for Jamie when they heard the shouts.

"HELP ME!" screamed a terrified Jamie.

….

"I can see people, Steve!"

There was no answer.

"Steve!"

Nothing.

He then found himself running, faster than he ever had in his entire life.

"HELP ME!" he screamed.

He was suddenly surrounded by people. He felt the weight on his back lifting, and sighed with relief.

"KID! JAMIE!"

Danny.

Danny was suddenly in front of him, holding his shoulders and shaking him.

"Fine," He gasped, "I'm fine."

Danny sighed with relief, as did the rest of the family.

"Come on." He helped his brother up.

As soon as he was on his feet, Jamie found himself enveloped in a bear hug (curtsey of his mother), being yelled at by his brothers and sister (they actually took turns). But what shocked him the most was the proud smile on his father's face.

"I'm so proud of you, hon," his mother said with a smile.

"Yeah, we all are, Kiddo," said Erin with a nod.

"Thanks," he smiled shyly.

"Jamie!"

Everyone turned in the direction of the voice, and found principle Williams coming towards them.

"Thank you so much, for looking after my boy," he said sincerely, griping Jamie's shoulder.

Jamie just nodded and smiled bemusedly.

"I don't know what could've happened to him out there if it weren't for you." The older man continued, and then turned to face Frank.

"This boy of yours is a brave one, you should be proud of him."

Frank smiled widely, "oh, I am."

"Well, I need to go to the hospital."

Williams and the Reagans exchanged goodbyes.

"Come on everyone, let's go home."

"Oh…um… you guys can go ahead, I'll catch up," said Danny distractedly.

His parents looked at him weirdly, but continued on their way.

Joe, Erin and Jamie watched as Danny scanned the crowd for something.

"What are you doing?" asked Joe suspiciously.

"Gonna put this badge to use," mumbled Danny

The three siblings watched with amusement as their older brother chased after a boy.

"Who is that?" asked Joe with a laugh.

"What is Danny doing?" asked Erin with a smile.

"He's getting a refund," said Jamie with a shrug.

They both looked at him with raised eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

…

"You did good, son," Frank told Jamie, seriously.

"You think so?"

"I know so," he looked at Jamie with curiosity, "why did you carry him? Why didn't you just get him help? Why did you even go in the direction of the scream?"

Jamie was surprised by the question, but quickly recovered, "honestly? I didn't even think. I just found myself running in that direction."

"And carrying him?"

"He was afraid of the dark," he said with a shrug. As if that simple fact explained everything.

"So you threw away you chance at winning, because there was a _chance_ someone needed help?" he asked seriously, although it was more of a statement.

Jamie looked his father in the eye, "yes I did. Winning is important, but not more than humanity."

His father beamed at him, "well said, son," he said, the pride evident in his voice.

Jamie smiled.

…

PLEASE READ THIS.

I know it's been a while, and for that I am truly sorry. But maybe things will get better from now on

I know this may seem pointless, but I wanted to introduce Steve, because he will play a big part in the next four chapters.

STAY TUNED, next chapter will have PLEANTY of action; shooting, death, angst…etc.


	5. Loss

"Loss."

* * *

"Hey guys!"

Jamie and Heather turned around to see their friend, Liam, jogging toward them.

"Hey!" answered fifteen year old Jamie, while Heather just smiled.

Liam sat next to Jamie on their table in the cafeteria.

"Where's Landon?" Heather asked curiously.

"Why do you ask, Heather? Got a thing for my brother, now?" Liam asked with a teasing smile.

Heather made a face, "No! Eww, why would you even think that?"

Liam shrugged, "girls seem to like him alot, even though I'm the good looking brother."

Jamie sniggered, while Heather rolled her eyes.

"We're twins!"

Liam jumped and knocked into Jamie who fell out of his chair, and knocked into Ian, a quiet, isolated, and scrawny kid, who fell to the ground and gasped in pain.

"I'm so sorry, Ian! I didn't mean to knock you down. Are you alright?" Jamie said hastily, while helping the boy up.

Ian glared at Jamie and shook his arm out of Jamie's steadying grasp.

"You alright, Jamie?" Asked Liam, helping his friend.

"What?" Landon, who had arrived with Rory, asked his brother, who was glaring at him.

"How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me?" Liam scolded his brother.

"Forty times and counting," answered Landon smartly.

"You should listen to me, you know. I'm older," Liam grumbled.

"Only by a minute!"

"And don't you forget it."

"You wouldn't let me!"

"How many times have we heard this same conversation?" Rory wondered loudly.

"Fifteen times and counting!" Jamie and Heather said in union, causing Rory to shake her head with a smile.

Rory was Heather's best friend and Landon's girlfriend. She had officially joined the 'gang', which now consisted of Heather, Jamie, Landon, Liam, Steve and herself, when she became Heather's friend. She enjoyed hanging out with them because they were all so different from each other, yet, somehow managed to fit each other perfectly.

The thing Rory prided herself for, was how well she could read others. From the moment she had seen Jamie and Heather together, she knew they were meant to be together. The problem was that both of them were so stubborn and pigheaded. She had tried, many times, to get them together, but was unsuccessful.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Jamie's nudge.

"That's your cue," Jamie said, pointing toward the two bickering brothers.

She looked toward Landon and Liam, and sighed. Liam looked ready to strangle Landon, who was slouching lazily in the chair.

"That's enough!" She said loudly.

The tow boys immediately shut up.

"How do you do that? I have to smack them on the head a couple of times to get them to shut up," Jamie said in awe.

"She's Rory," Liam said simply, with a shrug.

Rory smiled gently at him, and their eyes locked.

Everyone at the table noticed the silent exchange.

For Jamie and Heather, it was no surprise, because although Rory was with Landon and would never cheat on him, she had always had chemistry with the older Wesley.

For Landon, it was also no surprise. He knew that although Rory liked him, she was slowly falling in love with his brother. And there was nothing he could do about it, except watch. He knew he had to let her go. He knew she'd be happier with his brother.

He just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Landon cleared his throat, causing Rory and Liam to snap out of their daze. They exchanged guilty looks, before returning their attention to their friends.

Rory kissed Landon and smiled at him. Liam watched them kiss with a pained look.

"Hey guys!" Said the ever-cheerful Steve Williams. His smile was replaced by a frown as he asked, "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" everyone answered.

Steve raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and sat on Jamie's other side.

"Guess what?" he asked with a goofy grin.

Jamie smiled.

Steve and Jamie have been best friends since the day Jamie saved Steve, when they were both fourteen. He and Steve had, against all odds, formed a very strong bond. Jamie actually considers him as a third brother to him.

Everyone turned their attention to Steve

"What?"

"You know the basketball team has practice today, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Dad just told me that the coach canceled the practice, and that we, all six of us, can use the gym. We'll be all alone! How cool is that?" he asked with excitement.

"Seriously?" Jamie asked, incredulously.

"I swear."

Jamie grinned and raised his hand, "give me five!"

Steve laughed and high-fived his best friend.

Everyone looked at them in amusement. Steve and Jamie were, by far, the closest in the group of friends.

The bell rang, and they all left the cafeteria.

"Today, right after school," Steve reminded them.

They all nodded and went to their classes.

* * *

"About damn time," Steve grumbled.

"Sorry," apologized Liam, who was shortly followed by Landon.

Steve rolled his eyes and tapped his foot impatiently on the floor, waiting for Jamie and the girls to show up.

After five minutes, Jamie, Heather and Rory finally entered the gym.

"Sorry we're late."

"No problem, Jimbo," responded Steve.

Liam threw his hands in the air, "How come I got an eye-roll when I said sorry, and he gets 'no problem, Jimbo'?" he asked in exasperation.

"Cause I like him," said Steve slowly, as if talking to a child.

Liam glared, while everyone laughed.

"Who are the leaders?" asked Landon.

"There are no leaders," said Jamie. "We're just having fun."

They ignored him.

"Me and Jamie against you and Liam," Steve told Landon.

"NO," Liam objected loudly.

"Why not?" asked Landon.

"No offence, bro, but you suck at basketball."

"Fine, Jamie and Landon against you and me," Steve amended.

*fifteen minutes later*

"You know, it'd be awesome if you'd just let me _touch_ the ball," snapped Landon.

"Why? So you can, very skillfully, send it flying through _our_ basket?" Jamie said sarcastically.

"It was one time," he protested.

"Three times," everyone said in union.

Landon huffed.

* * *

While the boys continued playing, Heather took the opportunity to talk to Rory.

"You need to break up with him," Heather said quietly.

"What?" Rory looked at her friend in confusion and surprise.

"You need to break up with Landon."

"Why the hell would you say that?" Rory asked angrily.

Heather remained unfazed.

"Because you don't love him. You love Liam," Heather stated calmly.

Rory shook her head in denial.

"Don't lie to me, or yourself Ror. You love him," Heather said softly.

"I can't leave him," Rory whispered.

"Yes, you can."

Rory looked at her friend with pain-filled eyes, "Thing is, I love them both."

Heather looked at her sympathetically, "But you love Liam more."

Rory nodded with a sigh.

"Tell him," Heather urged her friend," Life's too short."

Rory arched an eyebrow," I'll tell him if you tell Jamie."

"Tell Jamie what?" asked Heather with a confused frown.

Rory rolled her eyes, and was about to say something when a boy burst through the gym door, holding a gun.

Heather and Rory screamed, while the boys just froze.

"Ian?" a stunned and somewhat fearful Jamie asked.

Ian's anger turned into confusion.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" he snarled

* * *

Ian was angry. No, scratch that, he was furious. He was tired of being bullied and manhandled by the members of the basketball team. The sick pranks and hurtful jokes have increased tenfold this past week. He had originally thought he could ignore it and ignore them until they went away, but it hadn't made things better, in fact, they had gotten worse.

Yesterday had been the worse. The captain of the team had thought it'd be funny to put a paint bomb in his locker. Everything in the locker had been ruined, including a book his deceased mother had given him, the book that was the only thing he had left of her. And if that hadn't been enough, the captain had blamed it on _him_, saying that Ian had put the bomb in the locker to frame him, out of jealousy and spite. The principle had forced Ian to, very publically; apologize to the Captain, who had smugly smirked at him the whole time.

So, Ian decided that it was time for payback. It was time to show the whole school that the basketball team members were a bunch of pussies, using his father's gun.

He had gone through the whole day without a fuss, silently fuming, waiting anxiously to put his plan into action.

His plan hadn't gone so well, seeing that he was now holding six people at gunpoint, none of whom was the target of his rage. His rage momentarily turned into confusion as he stared at their wide-eyed, terrified faces.

He had no way out.

"Ian?" he heard Jamie, one of the few people that actually acknowledged him at school, ask with fear and surprise.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

The anger was back now, anger at himself and the situation. He knew that he had two options now; one, stick with the plan, maybe even demand the captain in exchange for the six here, or two, leave the gym and face Jail time.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ian heard one of the twins ask in anger.

Ian turned the gun to the boy and smiled without humor or warmth.

His decision was made.

….

Jamie saw it, the gleam in Ian's eyes that could mean nothing but trouble, and fear settled in the pit of his stomach. No matter how many stories he heard his father, brothers and grandfather tell about situations like this, he wasn't prepared to be in one. He was just a fifteen year old!

"Just put the gun down, Dude, we all know you won't use it," Landon stated.

Jamie inwardly cringed. Landon was a good friend of his, but the guy could never and probably would never be able to shut up.

"I am not weak," Ian growled as he aimed the gun at Landon's chest. "Do you really wanna test your theory?"

_Damage control!_ Thought Jamie.

"Ian! We _know_ you are not weak, okay? What Landon meant was, you're a good person, and you wouldn't hurt anyone, at least not on purpose. Just please put the gun down, and let's talk about this. No one needs to get hurt today. No one."

Ian looked at Jamie with dull eyes, "You don't know me."

Jamie shook his head. "Sure I do."

Ian laughed a humorless laugh, "then tell me one thing, just one thing you know about me, besides my name."

"You like comics, The Avengers to be specific. You're allergic to peanuts. And, your mother died three months ago, while you were in the car with her," Jamie said the last part quietly.

Everyone stared at Jamie in admiration and surprise, including Ian.

Ian's grip on the gun faltered, "How did you know that?" he whispered.

"I guess I just …observed," Jamie said with a shrug.

When Ian resumed his previous position, Jamie tried again.

"I also know that you are a good person, and because of that I know that you won't shoot anyone with that," Jamie said, pointing at the gun.

Ian's eyes hardened, "Stop saying that," he demanded.

Jamie didn't listen. "You are! Just put the gun down, and walk away. Just walk away from this." He said calmly.

Ian shook his head.

"Just walk away," Jamie repeated softly.

Ian didn't say anything, he didn't have to.

They all watched in horror as Ian aimed the gun at Liam's chest and fired.

Ian didn't say anything, he didn't have to.

His actions spoke louder than words.

* * *

"What?"

"There's a situation at Jamie's school," Danny's partner told him grimly.

Danny's face drained of its color as he asked, "what kind of situation?"

"I don't have all the details, but I do know that your father is there and is asking for you."

Danny could do nothing but nod.

"It'll be okay, Danny," Carl tried to assure his worried partner. Carl knew how close the Reagans are, knew that they'd all be a little lose if something happened to the youngest . He prayed nothing did.

'I hope so' thought Danny. "Let's go!" he ordered his partner.

...

A circus. That was the only word to fit the situation he was facing. When he and his partner had arrived at the scene, reporters were everywhere, students and teachers were running out of the school and he found no sign of his youngest brother.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked loudly.

"Danny!" Danny heard his father's voice call him. He turned toward the direction of the voice and saw his approaching father.

"Dad, what's going on?" Danny tried, and failed, to keep the worry and fear out of his voice.

Frank shook his head, "a hostage situation. A boy named Ian Langston brought a gun to school and is now holding six students hostages in the gym."

Danny swallowed, and asked the question Frank did not wasn't to answer, "Who are the students in the gym?"

"Landon and Liam Johnson, Steve Williams, Rory Benson, Heather Reid, and…" Frank's voice dropped to a whisper as he continued, "Jameson Reagan."

Danny paled instantly and felt panic consume him, "Who reported it?" he questioned his father, who was trying to hold it together. When it looked like Frank hadn't heard him, Danny repeated his question, "Who reported it, Dad?"

Frank shook himself out of his fear and straightened, "An Adam Johnson, Who had been heading to the gym to get his back bag, heard the gunshot and called 911."

"How do you know it's Jamie in there?"

"Come with me."

Danny followed his father numbly, on autopilot.

"That's how," Frank said, pointing to a small screen.

Danny focused in the screen and saw that it was, indeed, the school gym. On the screen he saw the five figures of Jamie and his friends, the two girls hugging each other and crying, one of the twins sitting on the floor, looking dazed and Steve was glaring at the boy with the gun; Ian and Jamie.

Danny closed his eyes tightly, tears threatening to fall. His youngest brother was kneeling on the gym floor, his back to the small camera. What the hell was going on in there?

His father, as if reading his thoughts, gave him a quiet explanation, "Liam was shot in the chest."

Danny's eyed widened, "is he…?" he trailed off, not wanting to say the words aloud.

* * *

People react differently in a situation. Some freeze. Some run away. Some stay and fight until they can't anymore.

The situation in Stuyvesant High, wasn't any different.

When Ian pulled the trigger, sending a bullet flying through the air, and into Liam's chest, Jamie raced toward his fallen friend, Landon fell to the floor with a thus, looking dazed, Steve stayed rooted to the spot, glaring at Ian, while Rory turned and buried her face in Heather's shoulder, sobbing.

"Come on, buddy, I need you to stay with me," Jamie pleaded with his friend, trying frantically to stop the bleeding.

"We need to call an ambulance," he said urgently.

Ian was brought out of the shock he was in by Jamie's statement. He shook his head quickly, not wanting to give up just yet. He was panicking; he hadn't meant to shoot the boy in the chest. All he wanted was to teach Jason, the captain of the Basketball team, a lesson.

Jamie wasn't paying attention to Ian. His attention was focused on his dying friend.

"Wh- what's go-going on?" Liam asked painfully, coughing weakly.

"You're gonna be fine, okay? Just hold on, L.J."

"It hurts," Liam gasped.

Jamie blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall, and took his friend's flailing hand in his, squeezing tightly.

Liam gasped and coughed more blood. And Jamie knew his friend wasn't going to make it.

"Just relax, Liam, Relax." Jamie said soothingly.

Liam looked at him, fear darkening his green eyes, "I don't wanna die," he said miserably.

Jamie looked away, not wanting his best friend to sense his desperation and pain.

"I'm scared, Jamie, I'm scared."

Jamie forced himself to smile, "you don't have to be."

"Take care of them, Jamie."

"I will, buddy, I will. You can let go."

Jamie barely registered his friends' pleas for Liam to hold on, their angry shouts at him, all he cared about was holding his friends hand and giving him what little comfort he could offer.

Jamie felt the hand he was holding go limp, saw the eyes that were once filled with life, looking glassy and unseeing.

Jamie calmly closed Liam's eyes, then got up and faced Ian.

Ian actually took a step back when he saw the fury in Jamie's eyes.

"You killed him! He's dead. Do you realize that? You just took someone's life, someone who has a family." Jamie said, taking a step towards Ian, who took another step back.

Jamie continued," what about your family? Huh? What about your little brother? Did you think about him? You're all he has left in this world."

Ian paled. He hadn't thought about his brother or how this would affect him.

Ian's grip on the gun faltered.

Everyone noticed.

Jamie saw Steve tense and suddenly understood what was about to happen.

"Steve! No!" Jamie shouted as he ran forward, in Ian's direction.

Heather felt her heart skip a beat. All she saw was Steve and Jamie running toward Ian, and then, seconds later…

A gun shot rang out. And a body fell to the floor.

* * *

"What the hell is going on in there?" Danny asked.

He and the other detectives were formulating a plan when he saw movement on the screen. They all watched as Jamie advanced toward the armed boy, talking to him. They all watched as the boy lowered the gun.

Danny smiled. _Maybe everything would be okay_, he thought.

His fell, though, when he saw Jamie and Steve running toward Ian, who instinctively raised the gun in their direction.

"NO!" Danny shouted, once he heard the shot and saw the body collapse to the floor.

It wasn't going to be okay, after all.

* * *

_**I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter.**_

_**i'm sorry for any and all the mistakes in this chapter.**_

_**a special thanks to Bren Gail, geraldine123, CBloom2, accounting professional, nkotbsb girl, Craftygirl11, alli(guest), HumanEmotion, silvermoongirl10, YJ-Obsessed and soccergirl0019, who reviewed all the previous chapters.**_


	6. Loss II

"Loss II"

* * *

"How are you, Jamie?"

Jamie stared at the psychiatrist with mild disbelief and open distaste. It was his fifth session with her, and she still hadn't stopped asking the same question, _'How are you?'_ Jamie always wondered why people had the urge to ask that question, when they obviously didn't want to hear the truth. He thought about ignoring the question, but immediately dismissed the thought; his psychiatrist had the patience of a saint, and would most likely be unfazed by the silence that would fill the room. So Jamie answered her question with a question.

"Why do you always ask me that?"

The doctor looked at him in surprise; she had expected the usual 'I'm fine' followed by dismissive wave of the hand. Sure, the question caught her off-guard, but the doctor was more than happy to get Jamie to talk to her.

"I'm concerned."

"Well, you shouldn't be. I'm fine."

The Doctor sighed, "Okay, Jamie. How about we talk about your friends, instead?"

Jamie stared at her for a couple of minutes, and then shrugged carelessly.

"How are they?"

Jamie laughed humorlessly, "Oh they're doing great! Landon is angry all the time, Rory is crying all the time, and Heather is… Not Heather anymore."

"Your sarcasm is noted." The doctor said firmly, as she looked him in the eye. "Now tell me why you're so frustrated."

Jamie was surprised by how perceptive the doctor was and decided to answer truthfully, "I'm frustrated because I wanna help them, give them a shoulder to cry on. But how am I supposed to help them if they don't ask for it? How am I supposed to help fix _them _if _I'm_ broken?" the last part was whispered, quietly.

Dr. Remy's heart broke a little at the sadness she heard in the boy's voice, when all of a sudden, she got an idea. When Jamie's father had come to her, he had stated that the problem was Jamie's refusal to talk about anything that happened after the shooting. So she decided to get Jamie to open up to her, little by little. She had never had an opening. Until now.

Jamie watched curiously as the doctor reached for the newspaper on her desk, "You did the best you could. Everyone believes that. Except you."

Dr. Remy gave Jamie the paper silently.

"You gave _him_ a shoulder to cry on."

Jamie looked at the news paper in his hand, and felt his eyes water at the picture he saw there. It was of him, holding Landon as he cried.

He looked up at the Doctor, "it wasn't enough."

"What happened, Jamie? What led to this point?"

"After Ian shot Steve…"

_Jamie was relieved when he felt no immediate pain anywhere in his body, because it meant he hadn't been shot. His relief, however, was short-lived._

_"Steve! NO." Jamie screamed, as he caught his friend before he fell to the floor._

_" SON OF A BITCH! YOU SHOT HIM!"_

_"I'm so sorry, I didn't meant to. I swear I didn't mean to do it. I'm so sorry."_

_"No you're not. But I promise that you will be," Jamie growled._

_"Stay with me Stevo! Come on, wake up." Jamie said gently, to his fallen friend._

_"Get out," Jamie heard Ian say softly._

_"What?"_

_"Get out, all of you. Now!"_

_"Heather, Rory, Landon, come on." Jamie urged._

_"What about you?" asked Heather, numbly._

_"I need to get him out. You and Rory go and I'll catch up .I promise."_

_Heather nodded and took the still sobbing Rory with her._

_Jamie lifted the unconscious Steve and, without looking back, walked out of the gym._

"What happened to Landon?" Dr. Remy asked gently.

"I didn't even notice he was still inside."

"So, you took Steve outside and got him to the ambulance. Then what?"

"Cops went in, but not before Ian shot himself," He said bitterly.

"Then what? Jamie?"

"He wouldn't let go of Liam."

"Who wouldn't let go of Liam?"

"Landon."

_Jamie was barely holding it together. Everyone could see it. But when he had heard the detectives say that they will have to use force to get Landon out of the "crime scene", there was no stopping him. _

_What he saw, when he entered the gym, broke his heart. Landon was clutching his brother's body tightly against his own, screaming whenever anyone got too close._

_Jamie took cautious steps forward, making sure Landon saw him the whole time._

_"Jamie," Landon's voice broke on that one word, and Jamie felt his heart break with it._

_Jamie crouched in front of his friend, "What?"_

_"They want to take him from me. Please don't let them take him."_

_Jamie shut his eyes tightly, not wanting the tears to escape. But they did._

_"I know you don't want to, Landon, but you need to let go. He's gone now. Let them take him." Jamie said softly. _

_Landon shook his head._

_"Look at me, Landon." Jamie ordered._

_Landon did._

_"He's in a better place now, let go. Please, for me."_

_Landon nodded miserably and allowed Jamie to help him up. They walked slowly out of the school and into the busy space that was filled with cops, reporters and family members. _

_"Oh god," Landon whispered._

_Jamie turned around and saw two men carrying a gurney, knowing without a doubt the body on that gurney belonged to his best friend._

_Landon began to struggle, trying to get to his brother. But Jamie wouldn't let him._

_By now, Jamie could fell everyone's eyes on him and Landon, but he simply did not have the energy to care. The only thing he did care about was his friend._

_Jamie put his arms around Landon in a restraining, yet gentle hug, and refused to let go._

_"LET GO, JAMIE!" Landon screamed._

_"No."_

_"I SAID LET GO."_

_"You don't need to see that, Landon."_

_"Please let me go," London pleaded, brokenly._

_Jamie just tightened his arms around the grieving brother. And that was when Landon broke down._

_"It's gonna be okay, we'll be okay." Jamie whispered in his friend's ear._

"Did you see your friends after that?"

"Yeah."

"Where?"

"At the funerals."

The doctor's eyes widened, "Funeral_s_?"

"Yeah, Steve didn't make it."

The doctor's eyes softened and filled with tears. She hadn't known the other boy had died.

"Must have been hard; going to two funerals in one week."

"Three," Said Jamie, closing his eyes.

Remy frowned, "Three? Whose funerals did you go to, Jamie?"

Jamie looked her in the eye, "Liam's, Steve's, and Ian's."

To say the doctor was shocked would be the understatement of the year.

"Why would you do that, Jamie?"

"You know, my brother, Danny, asked me that same question."

"When?"

"Right before Ian's funeral."

_The family members were, for once, eating in silence and occasionally glancing at Jamie, who had announced that he was going to Ian's funeral._

_"Alright, if no one is gonna say it, then I will," announced Danny._

_"Danny!-" Joe, Mary and Joe tried to stop him, but Danny wasn't listening to them._

_Jamie looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow._

_"What the hell do you think you're doing?"_

_Jamie calmly set his fork aside._

_"I _was_ eating my dinner," Jamie said smartly._

_"You know what I mean, Jamie."_

_Jamie scowled at his brother," no, actually, I don't. Care to explain?" _

_"What the hell do you think you'll accomplish by going to that murderer's funeral?" Danny asked angrily._

_Jamie's face was red with anger as he answered, "He is not a bad person," he snapped, firmly. Jamie took a deep breath before continuing, "He made a horrible mistake, but it does not make _him_ a horrible person."_

_"Yeah?" Danny challenged, "Tell that to Liam and Steve's families."_

_Jamie dropped his gaze to the table, and didn't answer._

_"He killed your two best friends, Jamie," Danny reminded his youngest brother gently._

_Jamie's eyes hardened, and Danny almost gasped at the sight, before he uttered five words, "I know, I was there."_

_"I'm going to that funeral tomorrow, and no one will stop me." _

_And with that, Jamie left the table._

"What happened at the funeral, Jamie?" the doctor asked, "Who was there?"

"Besides me and Ian's five year old brother? No one. Not even their father."

"What happened at the funeral, Jamie?" the doctor repeated softly.

_Jamie walked slowly towards the small five year old boy, who was staring at the hole that now held his brother's casket_._ He was saddened by what he saw. No one came to Ian's funeral. The little boy, whose name is Adam, was clearly trying hard not to cry. It was sad, really, for him to learn to be tough at such a young age._

_When Jamie was stood beside the kneeling boy, Adam regarded him with curious yet wary eyes, and asked quietly, "Who are you?"_

_"My name is Jamie Reagan, I was a friend of your brother's." it wasn't a total lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either._

_Adam smiled sadly, yet knowingly, "My brother didn't have any friends."_

_"Sure he did."_

_Adam sniffled, "I know what he did." _

_Jamie paled. _

_"Is my brother a bad person, Jamie?" The little boy asked quietly, before bursting into tears._

_Jamie kneeled so he was on eye level with the little boy, "You brother was _not_ a bad person, you hear me? He was a good person who did a really bad thing, that's all."_

_The five year old continued to cry, causing Jamie to pull in a fierce yet gentle and comforting hug._

_Adam's little arms hugged Jamie around the waist tightly, holding on for dear life, as if he might disappear._

_"I want Ian back!" cried the little boy._

_"I know you do, bud, but he's gone now."_

_Jamie heard footsteps behind him, then a delicate hand on his shoulder, he looked up._

_"Hey," Heather said quietly, looking at him with sympathy and understanding._

_"Hi," responded Jamie._

_Adam finally pulled away from Jamie's warm embrace, and looked at heather with questioning eyes._

_"I'm Heather," she told the boy with a sad smile._

_Adam smiled faintly, "Are you Jamie's friend?"_

_Heather nodded, then brushed Adam's hair softly with her hand, "How are you, little guy?"_

_Adam smiled bravely, "I'm okay."_

_Heather's smile was a little forced. And so was Jamie's._

"Heather went there with you?"

Jamie nodded.

"I thought you said your relationship is strained, right now?"

"It is."

"What caused that, Jamie?"

Jamie shifted uncomfortably, "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Please do. It really does help."

Jamie paused, then nodded, somewhat reluctantly.

"We were …fine. Up until a couple of nights ago."

"What happened then, Jamie?"

_"Do you need a ride, Jamie?" Joe asked._

_"No, I'm fine, Joey."_

_"Are you sure? It really is okay." Said Joe, worriedly._

_Jamie rolled his eyes, "I'll be fine. Plus, Heather and I do this every year, what's so different about this one?"_

_"Jamie…" sighed Joe._

_Jamie chuckled, "Oh…I get it now. This is about the shooting."_

_"It's been over two weeks now, Joe, get over it."_

_And with that Jamie left the house._

_Although the past two weeks have been difficult for him, he was looking forward for the time with Heather tonight. It was their tradition. Every year on the day before Jaime's or Heather's birthday, the two of them would go to their favorite park and stay there until midnight, and when it is exactly twelve p.m., they would exchange gifts and a hug._

_Tonight is Heather's birthday._

_Jamie arrived at the park, at ten p.m. and found no sign of Heather. He settled on the bench and waited. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours, and there was still no sign of Heather._

_Jamie decided to go home and check on her, she was probably down with something. There was no way Heather would miss their tradition. Not a chance._

_Jamie froze. Surprise etched on his face. Heather was right there, in the Basketball court, with some of the boys from the BB team, and the cheerleaders. _

_Jamie couldn't move. He could only stare at her. She had blown him off for _this_! For _them_._

_"Jamie!" He heard her call his name._

_He was finally able to move, and Jamie found himself walking away from Heather._

_"Jamie! Wait."_

_Heather finally caught up to him. She put a hand on his arm, "What are you doing here?"_

_"I could ask you the same, Heather," Jamie said angrily._

_"We're just having fun."_

_"We! Since when is there a 'we'?"_

_Heather sighed, "What are you doing here?"_

_Jamie shook his head, "Why are you here? With them?"_

_Heather hesitated, "I'm dating Jackson."_

_Jamie's mouth fell open, "what?" he squeaked out._

_"I'm tired of being alone. I was sad and he was there for me, they all were." Heather tried to defend herself._

_Jamie laughed in her face, "And I wasn't? I wasn't the one who held you while you cried, every night, for a whole week, right?"_

_She was on the verge of a breakdown, but Jamie didn't notice._

_"Jamie, you don't understand…"_

_"Then make me understand. Why would you turn to them for help? Why would you turn to _him_ for help? And dating him, heather? We used to make fun of him and those airhead cheerleaders."_

_Heather said nothing._

_"What's going on with you?" Jamie asked gently._

_"I don't know." Heather said softly._

_Jamie sighed, "It's your life, Thea. You're the only one who gets to make the shots, but please, I am begging you, be careful when you're dealing with those people; I don't want to see you get hurt."_

_Heather looked devastated, so Jamie advanced slowly toward her, and pulled in a gentle hug._

_Heather practically melted into him._

_"Happy birthday, Thea," Jamie whispered softly, in her ear._

_Her eyes widened as she realized why he was out so late._

_"I am so sorry, Jay, " she said brokenly._

_"It's okay."_

_Jamie took her hand and placed a small wrapped box in it._

_"I hope you like it."_

_Heather watched him go._

"You're still angry at her." The doctor stated.

Jamie nodded.

The doctor was suddenly feeling guilty. The boy in front of her looked exhausted; his shoulders were slumped; as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"How are you really feeling, Jamie?"

Jamie looked at her with glistering eyes, "I'm fine. Aside from the not sleeping, the nightmares, the jumpiness, the constant fear of losing someone I love, _again_, and the crushing guilt, "Jamie's voice broke at the end.

"I know it may not seem like it right now, but you will be okay, Jamie."

"I have no choice but to be." Jamie said in a defeated tone.

"It wasn't you fault, Jamie."

Jamie scoffed, "Yes it was.

If I hadn't opened my big mouth, they could still be here, maybe not intact, but alive."

"You don't know that for sure."

Jamie looked her in the eye, "save it, doc, nothing you or anybody say is gonna change anything. The fact is; I screwed up, and as a result, two of my best friends died. There is no amount of talking or therapy that will change that.

Ian may have loaded the gun, but I pulled the trigger."

And with that, Jamie left the office.

…..

So sorry for the delay! But this is my last day of freedom, there is a big chance the next update will be in January.

Plaese review.

I hope it was at least a little bit emotional.

I woould like to thank: Alex(guest),Twinspired, Anonymous Smile(guest),soccergirl0019, silvermoongirl10, accounting professional, Annic, sydcasy, geraldine123,and CBloom2, for reviewing. you guys really made my day!

And very big thanks to: kylie(guest), FriendlyPerson(guest), and nkotbsb girl, for being so thoughtful and understanding.


	7. Loss III

"Loss III"

* * *

"Go away, Danny!" mumbled Jamie, as he pulled the covers over his head.

Danny rolled his eyes and pulled the covers off his brother. "Get up! It's nine a.m."

Jamie sighed and slowly swung his legs off the bed. Once he was seated on the bed, Jamie put his head in his hands.

"Come on, baby brother, let's go. Mom wants our help with cleaning out the garage."

Jamie rubbed his tired eyes wearily, "Fine. Just let me take a shower."

"You okay, Jamie?" Danny asked with concern.

Jamie couldn't help it, he laughed. "No I'm not, Danny."

And with that, Jamie pushed past Danny and went to have a shower.

* * *

"We need to do something about it," Said Danny

"Do something about what, Danny?" Asked Joe, wearily as he helped Danny move a rather heavy box.

"Jamie! Don't tell me you haven't noticed how tired he looks. He looks like a freakin' zombie!"

"Stop it, Danny, I'm blushing," said Jamie, sarcastically.

Danny and Joe jumped at the sudden appearance of their brother.

"Jesus, Kid, you scared the crap out of me!" said Danny, as he put a hand on his chest.

Jamie rolled his eyes, "I'm sure you'll survive. What do you guys need me to do?"

When the two brothers exchanged looks, Jamie let out a frustrated sigh.

"Are you sure you're up for this? You can-"

"I'm fine," Jamie insisted. "Now would you please tell me what to do?"

Joe sighed, "Help me move this box."

The brothers continued their work in silence.

* * *

"What have you got?" Danny asked.

Erin rolled her eyes, "you do realize we don't work for you, right?"

Erin, Linda, Danny and Joe were sitting in the living room, exchanging ideas about the right course of action to, as Danny put it, Snap Jamie out of it.

Danny stared at Erin, until she relented, "according to his teachers his grades aren't dropping but, most of them said that he looked dead on his feet."

"Joe?"

"He hasn't been talking to any of his friends. Not even Heather."

Everyone in the room frowned.

"That's weird. Jamie and Heather have been joined at hip since they were ten. Do you guys know what happened?" asked Linda, with a frown.

No one answered.

"I know what to do!" said Danny, excitedly.

Erin and Linda exchanged worried looks, while Joe gave his brother a questioning look.

"A road trip!"

* * *

"I can't believe he actually talked us into doing this. I'm telling you, Linda, this is a bad idea," Said Erin as she and Linda loaded the van with food.

"It's gonna be fine, Erin. Trust me. Plus, Frank and Mary said it's a good idea. Evrything's gonna be fine," assured Linda.

"You sure Heather will come?"

Linda sighed, "I think so. She really didn't look good. I don't think bringing her on this trip is gonna do her any good."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Linda was not able to answer because of the arrival of the rest of the gang. Danny was grinning widely; Joe was nervously looking between his two brothers while Jamie had a scowl on his face and was glaring daggers at his oblivious older brother.

"You guys ready?!" Danny asked cheerfully.

Erin, Linda and Joe nodded while Jamie growled a 'yes'.

"Where's Heather?" asked Joe.

"Right here," said Heather, slowly making her way to the group.

"Alright everyone, get in."

Heather pulled Jamie aside as everyone else checked the supplies and the seating arrangements.

"What do you want?" Jamie snapped.

"I just want you to hear me out. Please," Heather pleaded.

"What's taking so long, guys? We need to get going," shouted Danny.

"Jamie, please-"

"We need to get going," Jamie stated coldly, then walked away.

Once everyone was settled, Heather looked over at Jamie, who was sitting beside her, and cleared her throat.

"Is this how it's gonna be between us?" She asked quietly, with a hint of desperation.

"Yes. If you don't like it, feel free to leave."

* * *

"I told you this was a bad idea!" said Erin, looking around helplessly.

They had been planning on going to a quiet, secluded camping site that was, according to Mary, a magical place that would help them heal. Everything had been going well (aside from Jamie's sarcastic remarks, Heather's brooding, Joe's nervousness, Erin and Linda's worry and Danny's running dialogue) until the car suddenly pulled to a stop. At eleven pm. In the middle of nowhere. With no way to contact anyone.

_Shit_.

"Shut up, Erin," snapped Danny. He had been trying to figure out what the problem was for the past thirty minutes and was having no luck. "Whose bright idea, was the whole 'no cellphones thing'?" he grumbled.

"Yours," everyone snapped at him.

"Alright, jeez. Calm down."

"Calm down? We're in the middle of nowhere; freezing our asses off and we have no car or any way to contact anyone. How can you even ask us to calm down?"

"Guys, stop." Jamie's quiet voice stopped any further arguments. They all turned to him and were saddened by what they saw. Jamie was resting his head at the back of his seat, his eyes shut tightly as if he was in pain, while Heather's head was resting on his shoulder as she slept.

"Hey, Jay. Sorry we woke you up. We have a… situation," Said Joe, making sure to keep his voice quiet. Knowing Jamie as well as he did, Joe knew for a fact that his brother was in pain, surely from a headache. Jamie had come to him a few days earlier to ask for painkillers, admitting to having a headache. Joe hadn't told anyone, because he was sure Jamie didn't want anyone to know.

Jamie rubbed his eyes tiredly. He hadn't had a lot of sleep, only about an hour, and his head was killing him. Sighing, Jamie asked quietly, "what kind of situation?"

Jamie listened to his brother's explanation, and asked Danny to tell him everything he had checked. After thinking for a few minutes, Jamie asked, "Have you checked the coil?"

Danny stared at him for a few minutes, then shook his head. Jamie slowly and gently lifted Heather's head off his shoulder and laid it on the back of her seat, before he exited the car and stood next to Danny, in front of the car.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I need to test for spark. Danny, I'm gonna need your help."

Danny nodded. He was pretty good with cars, but Jamie certainly was the best in the family. Jamie held the first coil close to the rim of the coil entrance on top of the valve cover.

"Turn the car to the on position but don't crank it over," Jamie instructed his brother, who quickly complied.

The process was repeated two times until they found the damaged coil.

"There's no way this car's gonna move," Jamie stated grimly.

"What are we gonna do?" Erin asked worriedly, as she bit her lip.

"We need to find someplace to stay the night. We can't stay in the car," Stated Danny. He wasn't about to let his family sleep in the middle of nowhere at this time.

"In case you haven't noticed, Danny, we're in the middle of nowhere," snapped Jamie.

"Everyone, calm down and think straight. This isn't the time for you to be at each other's throats, alright?" said Linda quietly.

Danny huffed. "Sorry, but he started-"

The sound was barely audible, but they all heard it. "Did you hear that?" asked Danny, looking around.

"Yeah."

"Jamie, you alright, hun?" asked Linda worriedly. She had been watching Jamie out of the corner of her eyes, and had seen the color drain from his face.

Jamie looked her in the eye and shook his head. "No, I'm not. It's her," He said, pointing at Heather.

They all watched as Jamie opened the car door and settled himself next to the thrashing teenager.

Jamie put his hand on Heather's forehead and leaned in close, whispering in her ear. "Heather, wake up," Jamie shook her shoulder gently. Heather awoke with a gasp, silent tears running down her cheeks. She was shaking badly and her breaths were coming in short gasps. Jamie felt panic set in as he watched her unsuccessfully try to calm her breathing. For a few seconds, the only sound that was heard was Heather's gasping. Then, thankfully, Jamie seemed to snap of it.

Heather, who was still trying and failing to draw in an even breath, found herself enveloped in a fierce hug. A Gentle, strong and protective hug. _Jamie_, Heather thought with relief. Heather felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes and tried to desperately to keep them at bay, by holding her breath.

"Breathe," Jamie said softly, as he tightened his arms around her.

She did. And with that breath, came the tears.

* * *

"What was that, back there?" asked Danny as he approached his baby brother.

Jamie said nothing. Danny decided that being gentle was going to get him nowhere. The kid had to let it out. Keeping all that anger and sadness inside is dangerous.

"Look I get it, okay? You lost two of your friends, and I'm sorry for that, but moping around and brooding is getting you nowhere, so stop being a damn pussy and man up. Steve and Liam are dead, and so is Ian. Get over it."

* * *

"You alright, honey?" Linda asked, while rubbing Heather's back.

Heather shifted in her seat and looked up at Linda. "I'm fine."

It was a lie. Linda and Erin knew it, but weren't about to call the teenager on it.

"What the hell happened?" The three of them heard Joe yelling.

Linda, Erin and Heather were out of the car in a flash.

"Danny was being an ass, and I was sick of it," Jamie answered, his tone void of emotions.

"So you punched him?!"

If the situation hadn't been so serious, Joe's almost girly shriek would've been comical.

"Yes."

Linda saw the situation escalating and Locked eyes with Erin. "Let's go."

Erin nodded and took Heather by the arm.

"You think they'll kill each other?" Heather asked.

"Nah," Erin and Linda both answered at the same time.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking, Jamie? He's your brother."

Jamie looked at Joe with a raised eyebrow. "And I'm not his? You've been trying to get me to 'let it go and let it out' so I did."

Joe looked at him in disbelief. "And you did by punching him?"

Jamie shrugged, unconcerned.

Joe wasn't fooled by the act. He knew his little brother since he was in a diaper. Jamie was not unconcerned, or uncaring. Jamie was desperate. Looking at Danny, who had been silent throughout the whole thing, Joe saw that Danny had drawn the same conclusion.

"Why did you punch Danny, Jay?" Joe pressed.

"What do you want from me, Joey?"

Joe smiled sadly. "The only thing I-we- want is for you to be okay. And this, this is not okay. You haven't been sleeping, or eating, or talking to anyone. We're worried about you."

"I'm fi-"

"If you finish that sentence, Jamie, I promise you that I'll make you walk back home," threatened Danny.

Jamie snorted.

Danny glared.

Joe snapped. "For the love of God, stop it! What is going on with you two? You," he turned to Danny. "You need to stop upsetting him, he's already on edge and your oh so useful method is failing miserably. And you," Joe turned to Jamie. "Stop bottling things up, stop blaming yourself for their deaths, and, for God's sake, just stop pushing us away."

"Joey-"

"Don't you Joey me. I've had it with you, Jamie."

"I'm sorry," Jamie said quietly.

Joe sighed and moved forward, taking his younger by surprise when he hugged him tightly. Joe felt his brother's body shaking as he sobbed, his tears soaking the soft material of Joe's shirt, and held him tighter. It was about time Jamie let all the pent up feelings out.

When he met Danny's gaze, Joe allowed a sad smile to spread on his face and wasn't surprised when he received one in return.

* * *

"You guys okay?" asked Erin, who had been anxiously pacing.

"Yeah," Said a smiling Joe, as he ruffled Jamie's hair.

"What now?" asked Linda, looking around.

No one answered.

* * *

*24 hours later*

"A tour bus, huh?"

Jamie laughed and turned his head, looking over his shoulder at his mother, who leaning on the doorframe.

"Yeah. That was a lot fun, they even let up play with their instruments."

Mary smiled. She came into the room and sat at Jamie's bed.

"Your brothers told me about what happened," Mary started. "I know Danny can be a pain sometimes, but that does not give you the right to hit him, Jamie. He's your older brother and you need to respect him."

Jamie nodded seriously, looking her in the eye and Mary found herself fighting back a smile. Jamie was truly special, although he was only fifteen years old; he was one of the most responsible people she knew.

"I saw Heather today."

Jamie said nothing.

"She's hurting, Jamie. I know she made a mistake, but she needs her best friend right now. She needs you."

Mary stood up and approached her son. She crouched in front of him and cupped his cheek. "And you need her, too."

She stood up, kissed his forehead and left the room quietly.

Jamie closed his eyes and sighed. He had a lot of people he needed to apologize to.

* * *

"Jamie?" Heather asked, shocked that he was here, on her doorstep.

"Hey."

Heather steeped out of the house and closed the door behind her. "What's going on?"

Jamie was silent for a moment, His eyes searching her eyes for some of the sparkle that had once been a permanent fixture in the grey orbs. All there was now was a sadness that broke his heart and emptiness that scared him.

"Jay?"

Jamie smiled sadly and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," Jamie said, then pulled her gently into his arms.

Heather wrapped her arms around Jamie, and sighed in relief. He was finally back! Her best friend was finally back, and she felt happier than she had ever been before.

Jamie pulled away and smiled at her and Heather felt her heart skip a beat at the sight.

"Come on, we need to go."

"Go where?"

"The park."

* * *

"You guys are leaving? For good?" Heather asked, sadness clear in her tone.

Landon and Rory both nodded. Since the death of his brother, Landon had watched as his family fell apart. His father had started drinking, his mother had barely spoken a word and Rory had been crying ever since. He had been the one that suggested the move. Living in the same room that he had shared with his brother, the same house, was too much for him, for all of them.

Jamie didn't want to lose his friends, and neither did Heather, but they both understand the need to get away from the memory of Liam and Steve.

"I'm gonna miss you guys so much," said Heather, as she hugged Rory tightly.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Heather." Rory pulled away and took Heather's hand, dragging her toward a bench.

"What's wrong?"

Rory smiled. "Nothing's wrong. I just need you to promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Tell him you love him. Life's too short; it could end in the blink of an eye. And trust me, regret is a heck of a lot worse than grief."

Heather nodded with a small smile.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Landon," Jamie said, once the girls left.

Landon looked at him with confusion, "What for?"

"Liam was shot because of me."

Landon scowled at him. "Liam was shot by a psycho with a gun, and last time I checked, you were neither."

"But I-"

"You are not to blame."

Jamie closed his eyes, fighting back tears.

Landon hugged his friend tightly. "You tried to save while I was still as a statue. You tried to save him, and for that, I'll always be grateful," he said softly in Jamie's ear.

Jamie smiled.

* * *

*Two weeks later*

Dr. Remy Smiled as she listened to Jamie's story. She could hear the excitement in his voice and see it on his face. She could see that the guilt that was once a heavy weight on his shoulder had been lifted. The fact that he was smiling and laughing more was not lost on her.

"How are you, Jamie?"

"I'm fine," answered Jamie and he was surprised to know that he meant it.

Dr. Remy smiled. This time, she believed it.

* * *

_**Thanks to: **_**accounting professional, soccergirl0019 , Craftygirl11, CBloom2, geraldine123, and silvermoongirl10 for their constant support.**

_**So I know you guys want to kill me, or beat me with a stick, or both for the delay and I am so sorry for that, but life has been hectic. My sister was put on bed rest and I got the wonderful privileged to look after her son, who is like a freaking energized bunny! I swear the boy is gonna be the death of me. LOL.**_

_**I hope you guys liked this. Please R&R. I love to hear from you.**_

_**Next chapter: Lots of Erin/Jamie family moments. Stay tuned!**_


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